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I have had my S for several months. I love most things about it. However the minimalistic approach creates a BIG problem. The sunshades are completely useless. In the morning I have to drive with my hand up blocking the sun. Even with that I get to work with a splitting headache and poor vision in my left eye for about an hour. Did anyone doing design ever test drive it in the morning? I have looked at extensions, but they are ugly. I am going to bite the bullet and buy one because this morning I almost hit a kid on a bike while was completely blinded by the sun.

Is Tesla doing anything to fix this? Someone is going to hit and kill someone while blinded by the sun.

Mathew98 | 2013/12/04 - 09:18

Do you use sunglasses during rush hours traffic? I wear a pair of wrap around sun glasses to combat direct sun light. The skinny visor for the MS works fine for me otherwise. The sloping angle of the windshield dictates the skinny visor. I think a thicker visor would actually impair your visibility.

I have extra thick visor in my ICE but it doesn't block the sun light well enough by itself. I have another pair of wrap around shades in the ICE for the occasion.

CalDreamin | 2013/12/04 - 10:12

I agree with the OP, the sun visors are my biggest complaint about the Model S. They are far too skinny, so can't block the early morning or late afternoon sun for me. I've driven many other vehicles and never encountered this before. The visors also can't extend out when swung around to block the side window, a feature that even cheap vehicles often have. I wear a baseball cap to (partially) compensate for the inadequate sun visors.

RandomizeMe | 2013/12/04 - 10:14

I would say before going to buy something that you think is ugly and what not, try some sunglasses. Some dark ones that won't give you headaches. If you wear glasses and that doesn't work for you, look into a pair of transitional shades (inexpensive).

Captain_Zap | 2013/12/04 - 10:21

I have the same issue, only at sunset in the summer. The sun hangs low on the horizon for a very long time during that time of year.

Sunglasses only do so much, even if they are top of the line and polarized. Let me know if you find a good stop gap fix for the visors that isn't too unsightly.

furbrain | 2013/12/04 - 10:23

I hate the sun visors :-(

Theresa | 2013/12/04 - 10:26

I agree that they are very poor. I am lucky to be taller and I can raise my seat enough to make them usable. That might be a solution for you.

Sunglasses are not enough to help. I have driven for over a million miles and stopping the sun completely is much preferable to trying to dim it with sunglasses.

NKYTA | 2013/12/04 - 10:28

They work fine for me, but I'm tall (see @Theresa's post about raising seat height).
Any bigger and I wouldn't see enough of the road...

CalDreamin | 2013/12/04 - 10:43

I'm 6 feet tall. But I'm tall in the legs, not the torso. I have the seat at the maximum height and maximum distance from the steering wheel. The Model S sun visors don't block nearly enough for me.

NKYTA, I don't understand your comment "Any bigger and I wouldn't see enough of the road." You could always tilt the visor in a way to not have that happen.

EESROCK | 2013/12/04 - 10:52

Raising the seat position helped me with the visor issue.

DaphneGreen | 2013/12/04 - 11:52

I love that I can figure out how to set my favorite radio channels and that I don't have to figure out how to set the clock twice a year. I hate the visor, especially now that we have a low winter sun. I would really like to see Tesla do an aftermarket fix for them.

Brian H | 2013/12/04 - 12:21

Next gen tech is needed: active glass darkening, placing a black dot over the sun in your line of vision, as actively computed on the fly using internal sensors.

chrisdl | 2013/12/04 - 12:23

At least the visors have illuminated mirr... Oh wait. Ehm, never mind.
;-)

(couldn't help it, sorry)

Mathew98 | 2013/12/04 - 12:26

@Brian H - Transition lenses were invented for this reason...

George with SacEV | 2013/12/04 - 12:27

Many, many months ago one of the Tesla executives said something about the visors being temporary and better ones would be forthcoming as a post-delivery fix.

And that was...MANY months ago.

I agree, the sunvisors are worse than what is one a Toyota Corolla.

Yikes!

Roamer@AZ USA | 2013/12/04 - 12:30

Easy fix. Fold down the visor and raise your seat until the visor is just where you want it, then save the seat setting.

Or have your window tint guy put a "Limo Band" across the top of the windshield.

I live in Arizona and put a dark band across the top 5 inches of the windshield. Works great and I usually never need to lower the visors. Done right it adds a nice look to the car and breaks up the long expanse of window from the highly sloped aerodynamic windshield.

Low CG | 2013/12/04 - 12:31

I like the visors. They look cool and work for me.

NKYTA | 2013/12/04 - 12:38

@CalDreamin - but if they were too big and already flat against the windshield, I'd have to lower my seat, which is already pretty low.

@chrisdl - hilarious! :-)

cberman | 2013/12/04 - 13:03

The visor are the smallest of any car in the market, near useless. Any aftermarket option?

David Trushin | 2013/12/04 - 13:09

To tell the truth, i don't care for them myself, but in my comfortable seat setting, if they were any wider, i would have very little windshield to look out. So i'm ok with them for now.

Full disclosure - I don't need and don't have one of these. While the visors are not necessarily great they are fine for me.

nvjx | 2013/12/04 - 19:20

Worst visors of any car I have ever owned or driven. Can't believe they have these on a $100K car.

Brian H | 2013/12/04 - 19:36

Mathew;
different. Varigrey lenses darken the whole field. I'm talking a whole 'nother level of tech. Blacks only the line of sight to the sun. It exists already, don't have the reference handy.

jcaspar1 | 2013/12/04 - 19:54

I like the visors. Just have them wrapped by a leather shop to make them bigger if you are too short for them. Shouldn't be to hard.

OldDrummer | 2013/12/04 - 20:46

Visor issue? Move to Seattle. Now you'll have a wiper issue.

Koz | 2013/12/04 - 20:58

Visor is not an issue for me. Can always adjust to block the sun all the way down to the horizon. YMMV and your head position may be lower. Try raising the seat.

Pungoteague_Dave | 2013/12/04 - 21:19

My wife is short and had the same complaint one day when I was a passenger. I laughingly suggested that she could raise her seat instead. She did so and said "problem solved". It isn't as silly as it seems. Even short people can reach the pedals fine by adjusting up and forward, especially with the adjustable steering wheel.

mdemetri | 2013/12/04 - 21:30

Yes, raising the seat should solve the problem. I am very tall in the torso and have the seat all the way down, and at that level, the visors are perfect for me. Any larger and I would have trouble seeing the road. However, my wife is the opposite, which is fixed simply by raising the seat. The difference in seat height between us is so large that I cannot get into the car with her setting.

So..just try raising the seat height.

jefflieb | 2013/12/06 - 05:00

The visors are less than optimal. Their minimal approach forced the lack of a mirror because of the design. I Can't believe they have these on a $100K car. Oh its an experimental car...that's right.